History of Flight
On August 20, 2011, at 0034 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 172M, N13126, collided with trees and terrain while descending, approximately 1/2 mile south of Titusville Airport (6G1) in Titusville, Pennsylvania. The airplane was operated by Titusville Aero Club Inc. as a 14 CFR Part 91 instructional flight. The impact caused structural damage and a post-crash fire. The certified flight instructor and student pilot sustained fatal injuries.
The flight had departed 6G1 at about 2100 on a VFR night cross-country flight to Erie International Airport (ERI), arriving at 2306. It departed ERI at 2307, then flew to Willoughby Lost Nation Municipal Airport (LNN) at an undetermined time. While in the vicinity of 6G1, the flight encountered instrument meteorological conditions (IMC); no contact with or request for assistance from air traffic control was made. The airplane was reported missing at 1008 on August 20 and located by ground personnel at 1115.
Radar data from Clearfield, Pennsylvania, showed the airplane flew over 6G1 at 2,700 feet at 0028, with the last return at 0034 at 1,500 feet, about 1/2 mile southwest of the airport.
Personnel Information
The flight instructor, age 43, held a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land, multiengine land, and instrument airplane, issued August 11, 2009. He also held a flight instructor certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine, multiengine, and instrument airplane, issued March 24, 2011. His logbook was not recovered. He held a third-class medical certificate issued April 28, 2008, with no restrictions, and had reported 1,600 total flight hours.
The student pilot, age 46, held a third-class medical certificate issued May 17, 2011, with the restriction "must have available glasses for near vision." His logbook was not located.
Aircraft Information
The Cessna 172M, serial number 17262516, was manufactured in 1973. It was powered by a Lycoming O-360-A4M, 180-horsepower engine. The last annual inspection was on March 1, 2011, at a tachometer time of 4,381.60 hours. The engine had 984.50 hours at that inspection. The airplane had flown 58.7 hours since then. Total airframe time at the accident was 4,440.3 hours; total engine time was 1,043.2 hours. The airplane was last refueled on August 19, 2011, with 4.3 gallons of 100 low lead fuel.
Meteorological Information
The student pilot obtained a weather briefing at 2037 on August 19, 2011, from Lockheed Martin. He declined to file a VFR flight plan and indicated a total flight time of 1 hour 45 minutes. The briefer noted high pressure over the area and marginal VFR conditions at Franklin, Pennsylvania.
At the accident time, the nearest reporting station, Venango Regional Airport (FKL), reported calm wind, visibility 2.5 miles, clear skies, temperature 16°C, dew point 15°C. The National Weather Service surface analysis showed a high pressure system with calm winds, clear skies, and high relative humidity. An AIRMET for IFR conditions was valid for the accident area from 2245 to 0500, with ceilings below 1,000 feet and visibility below 3 miles in mist. The FKL terminal forecast from 2300 to 0200 expected visibility 1/2 mile in fog, overcast ceiling at 200 feet; from 0200 to 0900, visibility 1/4 mile in dense fog, overcast at 100 feet.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The airplane struck a tree about 66 feet above its base in a descending, nose-down attitude on a heading of 010° magnetic. A 208-foot-long debris path included vegetation browning. The left wing separated, and the airplane came to rest inverted on a heading of 010°. The engine was displaced upward and left; all mounts except one were separated. The cabin and forward seats were consumed by fire. The instrument panel was damaged, and flight instruments were damaged. The fuel selector was in the both position. Continuity of flight controls was confirmed. The propeller blades showed torsional twisting, S-bending, and chord-wise scarring, indicating engine power at impact. The left and right wings sustained significant damage; flaps were not extended. The empennage was intact with fire damage. The engine examination revealed oil present, no water in fuel, and normal combustion signatures on spark plugs. All cylinders produced compression when rotated.
Medical and Pathological Information
Autopsies conducted on August 22, 2011, determined the cause of death for both the flight instructor and student pilot as blunt force trauma to the head and chest. Toxicological tests on the flight instructor showed no carbon monoxide, cyanide, ethanol, or drugs. For the student pilot, ethanol and putrefaction-related alcohols were detected; tetrahydrocannabinol and its metabolite were found in lung, liver, and blood samples.